Park City Mountain Resort
Encyclopedia
Park City Mountain Resort is a ski resort
in Park City
, Utah
, located 34 miles (54.7 km) east of Salt Lake City. The resort has been a major tourist attraction for skiers from all over the United States, as well as a main employer for many of Park City's citizens. Park City, as the resort is often called by locals, contains several training courses for the U.S. Ski Team
, including slalom
and giant slalom
runs. During the 2002 Winter Olympics
the resort hosted the snowboarding
events and the men's and women's alpine
giant slalom events. The Resort is currently owned by Powdr Corporation
.
Park City is also one of the featured mountains in the video game Shaun White Snowboarding
for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
in the United States, as well as a double chairlift
, a J-bar lift
, base and summit lodges, and a nine-hole golf course. The gondola was a four passenger Polig-Heckel-Bleichert (PHB, a German aerial ropeway company). Its sister lift was built at Sugarloaf/USA
in Carrabassett Valley, Maine
, after top members of Sugarloaf's management visited Park City's lift.
When the slopes first opened to the public, a special Skier's Subway was used to transport skiers nearly 2.5 miles (4 km) into the mountain through the pitch-black Spiro Tunnel on a mine train, where skiers then boarded a mining elevator that lifted them 1750 feet (533.4 m) to the surface, and from there they had access to the entire mountain. Aerial trams once used for hauling ore were converted into chairlifts. To this day, there are still more than 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of old silver-mine workings and tunnels beneath the slopes at Park City Mountain Resort and its neighboring resort, Deer Valley
.
Treasure Mountain's name was changed to the Park City Ski Area for its fourth season of 1966-67, and in 1996, became known as the Park City Mountain Resort. The resort has grown to include eight peaks and nine bowls, with 3300 acres (1,335.5 ha) of skiing and 16 chairlifts. The resort has also developed summer activities including an alpine slide
, alpine coaster, zip-line
s, and several hiking and biking trails.
A sister ski area, known as Park City West (re-named Wolf Mountain and now known as The Canyons
) opened in 1968, and Deer Valley Resort opened in December 1981, at the site of the former Snow Park (1946–69).
Park City mountain resort is home to many ski schools run by the mountain, but is also home to privately owned ski schools. (Park city freestyle, Axis freeride, Park city ski team) Run by Mick Berry- Park city freestyle, Chris “Hatch” Haslock- Axis Freeride, Jesse Hunt- Park city ski team
and women's
giant slalom, men's and women's
snowboarding parallel giant slalom, and both men's
and women's
snowboarding halfpipe events. The resort's Eagle Race Arena and Eagle Superpipe were used as the Olympics runs. Temporary stadiums were erected at the end of each run with spectator standing areas on each side, creating a combined capacity of 16,500 persons. 99.8 percent of available tickets for events at the resort were sold, for a total of 95,991 spectators witnessing events at the resort. During the games 96 percent of the resort was open to normal seasonal operations, and was the only venue to allow spectators to leave and reenter. As part of the celebrations for the games, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
played a free concert at the base of the resort.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in Park City
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, located 34 miles (54.7 km) east of Salt Lake City. The resort has been a major tourist attraction for skiers from all over the United States, as well as a main employer for many of Park City's citizens. Park City, as the resort is often called by locals, contains several training courses for the U.S. Ski Team
United States Ski Team
The United States Ski Team, operated under the auspices of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association , develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, adaptive alpine, freestyle skiing, cross country, adaptive cross country, ski jumping, and nordic combined....
, including slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
and giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
runs. During the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
the resort hosted the snowboarding
Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe and Parallel Giant Slalom events. The snowboarding competition took place at Park City, over a five day period.-Medal table:-Men's events:...
events and the men's and women's alpine
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events held near Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. The downhill, Super G, and combined events were held at Snowbasin, the giant slalom at Park City, and the slalom at Deer Valley...
giant slalom events. The Resort is currently owned by Powdr Corporation
Powdr Corporation
Powdr Corporation is one of the largest ski resort operators in North America, along with Boyne Resorts, Intrawest, and Vail Resorts. Unlike its competitors, Powdr focuses on ski area operations rather than real estate development. It is owned by the Cumming family and headquartered in Park City,...
.
Park City is also one of the featured mountains in the video game Shaun White Snowboarding
Shaun White Snowboarding
Shaun White Snowboarding is a sports video game for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Xbox 360 systems. It was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released on November 14, 2008...
for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
History
The present resort was opened on December 21, 1963 as Treasure Mountain by United Park City Mines. This company was the last surviving mining corporation in Park City, and the resort was opened with funds from a federal government program meant to revive the economically depressed town. When it originally opened, it boasted the longest gondolaGondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
in the United States, as well as a double chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, a J-bar lift
J-bar lift
A J-bar is a type of surface lift invented in the 1940sfor ski area passenger transport. They are now rarely in operation having been superseded by T-bars, which have twice the capacity at basically the same price, and chairlifts which have many advantages...
, base and summit lodges, and a nine-hole golf course. The gondola was a four passenger Polig-Heckel-Bleichert (PHB, a German aerial ropeway company). Its sister lift was built at Sugarloaf/USA
Sugarloaf/USA
Sugarloaf is a ski area and resort located on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, western Maine. It is the largest ski resort in the State of Maine, in terms of number of trails , skiable acreage , and snowmaking percentage ; its continuous vertical drop of is the second longest in New...
in Carrabassett Valley, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, after top members of Sugarloaf's management visited Park City's lift.
When the slopes first opened to the public, a special Skier's Subway was used to transport skiers nearly 2.5 miles (4 km) into the mountain through the pitch-black Spiro Tunnel on a mine train, where skiers then boarded a mining elevator that lifted them 1750 feet (533.4 m) to the surface, and from there they had access to the entire mountain. Aerial trams once used for hauling ore were converted into chairlifts. To this day, there are still more than 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of old silver-mine workings and tunnels beneath the slopes at Park City Mountain Resort and its neighboring resort, Deer Valley
Deer Valley
Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America...
.
Treasure Mountain's name was changed to the Park City Ski Area for its fourth season of 1966-67, and in 1996, became known as the Park City Mountain Resort. The resort has grown to include eight peaks and nine bowls, with 3300 acres (1,335.5 ha) of skiing and 16 chairlifts. The resort has also developed summer activities including an alpine slide
Alpine slide
An alpine slide is a long chute on the side of a hill, usually built by ski resorts to supplement summer income. A wheeled cart is used to navigate the slide. The ride is similar to a bobsled ride, except that it rolls over a smooth track—generally cement, stainless steel, or fiberglass—rather...
, alpine coaster, zip-line
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
s, and several hiking and biking trails.
A sister ski area, known as Park City West (re-named Wolf Mountain and now known as The Canyons
The Canyons
Canyons Resort is one of three alpine ski resorts located in Park City, Utah. With 19 chairlifts and over 4000 acres of skiable terrain, Canyons is the largest ski resort in Utah...
) opened in 1968, and Deer Valley Resort opened in December 1981, at the site of the former Snow Park (1946–69).
Park City mountain resort is home to many ski schools run by the mountain, but is also home to privately owned ski schools. (Park city freestyle, Axis freeride, Park city ski team) Run by Mick Berry- Park city freestyle, Chris “Hatch” Haslock- Axis Freeride, Jesse Hunt- Park city ski team
2002 Winter Olympics
During the 2002 games the resort hosted the men'sAlpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom
The event was held on February 21st at Park City. Stephan Eberharter, age 32.9, became the oldest man to win an alpine event at the Olympics.-Results:Complete results from the men's giant slalom event at the 2002 Winter Olympics.-References:*...
and women's
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Women's giant slalom
The event was held on February 22, 2002 at Park City Mountain Resort. After recovering from a 2001 knee injury, Kostelic wins the first medal for Croatia at the Winter Games.-Results:...
giant slalom, men's and women's
Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Women's parallel giant slalom
The women's parallel giant slalom event in snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held in Park City, USA. The competition began on February 14, with the final rounds on February 15.-Medalists:-Qualification:...
snowboarding parallel giant slalom, and both men's
Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Men's halfpipe
The men's halfpipe event in snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held in Park City, United States. The competition took place on 11 February 2002....
and women's
Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Women's halfpipe
The women's halfpipe event in snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held in Park City, United States. The competition took place on 10 February 2002.-Medalists:-Results:...
snowboarding halfpipe events. The resort's Eagle Race Arena and Eagle Superpipe were used as the Olympics runs. Temporary stadiums were erected at the end of each run with spectator standing areas on each side, creating a combined capacity of 16,500 persons. 99.8 percent of available tickets for events at the resort were sold, for a total of 95,991 spectators witnessing events at the resort. During the games 96 percent of the resort was open to normal seasonal operations, and was the only venue to allow spectators to leave and reenter. As part of the celebrations for the games, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
played a free concert at the base of the resort.
Statistics
Mountain information
- Base elevation: 6900 feet (2,103.1 m)
- Summit elevation: 10000 feet (3,048 m)
- Vertical rise: 3100 feet (944.9 m)
- Total mountain peaks: 8
- Total skiable area: 3300 acres (1,335.5 ha)
- Average Annual Snowfall: 360 inches (914.4 cm)
Trails
- Total Trails: 108
- Beginner: 17%
- Intermediate: 52%
- Expert: 31%
- Terrain Parks: 3
- Superpipe: 1
Lifts
- Total lifts: 17
- Chairs: 16
- 4 detachableDetachable chairliftA detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
6-person - 3 detachable high-speed quad
- 6 triples
- 3 doubles
- 4 detachable
- Surface tow: 1
- 1 magic carpetMagic carpet (ski lift)A magic carpet is a type of surface lift installed at ski areas to transport skiers and snowboarders up the hill...
- 1 magic carpet
- Chairs: 16
Lift names
- Crescent Express
- Payday Express
- First Time Express
- Bonanza Express
- Silverlode Express
- McConkeys Express
- King Con Express
- Eagle Chair
- Eaglet Chair
- Silver Star Chair
- Three Kings Chair
- Motherlode Chair
- Thaynes Chair
- Pioneer Chair
- Jupiter Chair
- Town Lift
External links
- Park City Mountain Resort - Official website
- Ski Utah - Resort Profile
- Park City Mountain.com - Resort history & Historical timeline
- 3dSkiMaps - Park City Mountain Resort 3D map
- The Financial Times - 2001 article from London, England